1990 L717 Cream-White
leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-02-03 4:13 PM (#521875)
Subject: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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Posts: 287

Location: Katmandu

Today I have struck a bargain on eBay for an L717 with a cream-white finish. As the serial no. implies (#419757), she was made in 1990. Apparently, she needs a proper setup but should otherwise be in good condition. I will know more once she arrives.



Edited by leonardmccoy 2016-02-03 4:16 PM
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arumako
Posted 2016-02-03 11:43 PM (#521879 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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Location: Yokohama, Japan
SWEET! Dumb question, here 'cuz the pic is pretty obvious, but is that a lefty?
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-02-03 11:54 PM (#521880 - in reply to #521879)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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Yes, sir, it's a lefty through and through.

Edited by leonardmccoy 2016-02-03 11:55 PM
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-02-04 12:36 AM (#521881 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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Does anybody have the technical specs for the L717 (materials, scales, neck shape, hardware)?
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Damon67
Posted 2016-02-04 1:52 AM (#521883 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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http://www.ovationguitars.com/guitars/archive/view/1717-legend

Same guitar, just right handed
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Old Man Arthur
Posted 2016-02-04 3:15 AM (#521884 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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That is a NICE one.
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-02-04 10:41 AM (#521893 - in reply to #521883)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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Damon67 - 2016-02-04 1:52 AM

http://www.ovationguitars.com/guitars/archive/view/1717-legend

Same guitar, just right handed

Thanks a lot.
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Nancy
Posted 2016-02-05 4:25 PM (#521926 - in reply to #521893)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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leonardmccoy - 2016-02-04 10:41 AM

Damon67 - 2016-02-04 1:52 AM

http://www.ovationguitars.com/guitars/archive/view/1717-legend

Same guitar, just right handed

Thanks a lot.


Stupid Question, but one I have been wondering for a while, on a non-cutaway like this, how do you know it is a Lefty, and what are the actual differences?? They look just like a Right Hander... Thanks in Advance!

GORGEOUS Guitar Leonardmccoy! Fantastic shape, and unusual color!

Edited by Nancy 2016-02-05 4:26 PM
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Mark in Boise
Posted 2016-02-05 6:33 PM (#521931 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White


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Location: Boise, Idaho
The saddle is slanted the opposite direction. That's the only way I can tell, but there may be others, like the cuts in the nut sized for the larger strings on the opposite side.
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-02-06 2:13 AM (#521943 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: RE: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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A hard tell would be that a lefty noncutaway has all the electronics on the opposite site. Then, as Mark's mentioned, there's the saddle that's slanted in the opposite direction, and the nut slots also need to be carved differently in terms of width and height so as to accommodate the reverse stringing. The sidedots are on the opposite site of the fretboard as well.

But most importantly, if it's a factory-made lefty the model no. ought to reflect that:



I will have her in my hands by the end of the coming week.
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-02-06 11:30 AM (#521954 - in reply to #521943)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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Location: Katmandu
She arrived!

The good: in terms of appearance, though a bit smelly still, she's in remarkably good shape for her age (26). The electronics seem operational. I have already had full success in removing the tape on the headstock, and the adhesive underneath, (with a hair-dryer, cloth, and some cooking oil) the previous owner put there, much to my dismay, to shield the headstock from bumps when playing with his band. After removing the tape the headstock showed itself to be in immaculate condition.

The bad: the neck is warped quite a bit. Unfortunately I don't have an Ovation-specific allen key (9834-0) at hand to adjust the truss rod right away and to check whether the neck is still operational. I have ordered a new wrench, which I would need anyway for my other Ovation, and some new strings (Daddario EXP16), since I have only had new Gibson J-200 strings lying around, which with their silk-wrapped ball ends are usually a little too thick for the slots in Ovation bridges.

No doubt I will treat her to a professional inspection come Monday. If everything works out, she'll be treated to a professional setup plus everything else that is doable and needs to be done. Should she turn out a dud due to the neck, she'll be returned.
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Nancy
Posted 2016-02-07 8:58 AM (#521982 - in reply to #521954)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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I hope that everything is fixable for her! Please keep us posted? It kind of takes some of the fun out of a new/old one, when you find things you didn't expect, but it sounds like you know just how to bring her back to her Former Glory!

And Thank you Bones (LeonardMcCoy) and Mark for the information on the Lefty, that helps me understand!
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-02-08 1:24 PM (#522022 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: RE: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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Location: Katmandu

Thanks for the kind words, Nancy!

As for the L717, I have had her inspected today by my luthier. There is a serious problem with the neck in that neck relief is perfectly adjustable up until the 14th fret by ways of simply adjusting the truss rod. However, the neck piece mounted on the guitar (14th fret onwards) falls off flat compared to the rest of the neck, so that string height gets increasingly larger beginning with the 14th fret and the higher you go up the cane. Naturally, this makes playing in the upper frets more difficult as you require more strength to push down each string.

L717 neck

L717 neck: I've tried to visualize how much the neck drops off after the 14th fret.

My question for our Ovation experts: Is this phenomenon a rather common occurance with older Ovations (this one was made in 1990)? The reason I'm asking is because certain guitar brands, such as Martin for instance, are rather infamous for such a "neck drop" even on brand-new models.

I'm thinking hard about whether to keep or to return her. Should I pose that question to someone specific who may be able to help me with that? My luthier said that that kind of neck issue wouldn't be easily fixable and is a serious argument for returning her.



Edited by leonardmccoy 2016-02-08 1:26 PM
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Damon67
Posted 2016-02-08 1:38 PM (#522023 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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Do you return it? I guess that depends on your playing style. Do you play on/beyond the 14th? It's a non-cutaway, so there's not easy access up that far anyway.
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Old Man Arthur
Posted 2016-02-08 4:00 PM (#522027 - in reply to #522022)
Subject: RE: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR
leonardmccoy - 2016-02-08 11:24 AM

My question for our Ovation experts: Is this phenomenon a rather common occurance with older Ovations (this one was made in 1990)? The reason I'm asking is because certain guitar brands, such as Martin for instance, are rather infamous for such a "neck drop" even on brand-new models.

Quick answer... Yes.
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jay
Posted 2016-02-08 4:04 PM (#522029 - in reply to #522022)
Subject: RE: 1990 L717 Cream-White



Joined:
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Location: Texas

I'm confused...which is the norm for me...

Is it a L717 or a 1717 Legend? Being white, I didnt know if it was a different code, or an all together different model.

 

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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-02-08 4:19 PM (#522030 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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Location: Katmandu
Thanks a lot, guys! You have been very helpful with your advice.

I have been playing Ovation on and off for years but I was unaware that such a hunchback in the fretboard may occur on older Ovations.

And so I have made up my mind: I will keep her, because, other than the hunchback in the fretboard, she's a darn fine guitar back to front, and I'm not operating that much beyond the 14th fret anyway, especially not on noncutaways. I may even decide to get her re-fretted which is costly to say the least; in any case she's getting a new bone nut since the current one, which isn't an original, was so loose that it just fell off when cleaning the fretboard...

Concerning the situation I also inquired with the seller, who's a guitar-playing southpaw just like me, and we agreed that I get half of the purchasing price refunded which is rather generous of him (she came with the OHSC).

Edited by leonardmccoy 2016-02-08 4:31 PM
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-02-08 4:33 PM (#522031 - in reply to #522029)
Subject: RE: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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jay - 2016-02-08 4:04 PM

I'm confused...which is the norm for me...

Is it a L717 or a 1717 Legend? Being white, I didnt know if it was a different code, or an all together different model.

 


She's an L717 Legend, which is the lefty version of the 1717 Legend.



(l717 label.jpg)



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Mark in Boise
Posted 2016-02-08 5:44 PM (#522034 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White


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Location: Boise, Idaho
I was going to go home and check mine tonight. I suspect the majority of them have the "drop off" issue, although I've never tried to measure it. I don't play much at the 12th fret or above. I wouldn't want it the other way, with the fret board curling up on the bottom end. I've had 2 Ovations, including the LAV Koa, that have hump at the 12th or 14th fret.
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jay
Posted 2016-02-08 7:21 PM (#522038 - in reply to #522034)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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I share the same experience as Mark. My CL Anniversary had a bump around the 14th...didnt affect a thing, but it bothered the hell out me.

 

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Old Man Arthur
Posted 2016-02-08 8:17 PM (#522039 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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Reminds me of the buzz at the 15th fret of my Orange Flame T.
It bugged the hell of of me, and I eventually fixed it.

I am not sure why it should bother me...
I never play anything that high on the fingerboard.
(oh yeah... Sweet Child of Mine which I never play)
But it just dinged my OCD button.
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-02-13 4:06 AM (#522132 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: RE: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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Location: Katmandu
Here is just a quick follow-up on the L717. It's a very happy ending!

I gave the top a good rubbing and polish, and put conditioner on the fretboard; she now looks almost like new. I left the perfectly cut nut, which fell off during cleaning, as is, since even when loose it won't ever slip out of the accommodated nut slot, and many expensive guitars have the nut loose or only semi-fixated.

I re-adjusted the neck to allow for just the right amount of relief. The truss rod nut was buttery-smooth to rotate. String action is nice and low. Since I couldn't find any Adamas strings to buy anywhere, I went for .012 D'Addario EXP strings, which sound like what you would expect from coated strings (higher longevity, less brilliance).

While the hump in the fretboard remains until she is refretted, she's in overall marvelous condition for her age and begging to be played.



(l717cream.jpg)



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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-02-13 6:34 AM (#522133 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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Location: Katmandu
Does anybody know what kind of bracing the 1717 uses? Are there any schematics?
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Nancy
Posted 2016-02-13 8:39 AM (#522135 - in reply to #522133)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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Location: Frozen Tundra of Minnesota
Gorgeous Guitar!!! I am so glad that everything turned out so well for you, and she got a really good, caring home! It is fun doing the Buff and Shine, you know every little nuance of them after doing that, and it kind of forms a bond for you both! You will have great time playing this Beauty! Congratulations!!
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Damon67
Posted 2016-02-13 12:47 PM (#522138 - in reply to #522133)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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Location: Jet City

leonardmccoy - 2016-02-13 4:34 AM Does anybody know what kind of bracing the 1717 uses? Are there any schematics?

 

A

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Glen C.
Posted 2016-02-14 12:13 PM (#522153 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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Location: Corpus Christi, TX
During a conversation with John Budny he indicated the falloff past the 14th fret is intentional. Don't know if yours is more or less than original but it is in my opinion nothing to be concerned about.
Now if I am mis remembering my conversation with John then delete this thought from your memory bank.
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-02-14 3:44 PM (#522158 - in reply to #522153)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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Location: Katmandu
Glen C. - 2016-02-14 12:13 PM

During a conversation with John Budny he indicated the falloff past the 14th fret is intentional. Don't know if yours is more or less than original but it is in my opinion nothing to be concerned about.
Now if I am mis remembering my conversation with John then delete this thought from your memory bank.

I imagine it would break a luthier's heart to have the fall-off of the fretboard as a feature rather than a deficiency which it objectively is, as playability is quite gravely affected past the 14th fret. Or I'm being inconsiderate of something here...

Since Damon67 mentioned the 1717 models have A-bracing, I've attached the right schematics for later reference below.

Edited by leonardmccoy 2016-02-14 3:51 PM




(Ovation A.jpg)



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Old Man Arthur
Posted 2016-02-14 4:28 PM (#522161 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR
A "fall-off" is better than a "hump".
I have read that many other brands of guitars also have a "fall-off" after the connection point.
just sayin'
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-02-15 10:47 AM (#522186 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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Location: Katmandu
I think I mistook "fall-off" for "hump" in Glen's post. And perhaps mine is indeed a rather extreme case of this phenomenon which befalls other brands as well and even more so (esp. Martin).

I got a question: Some of the cables hang rather loosely inside the L717 Legend and, when moving the body of the guitar, "scratch" rather noisily against the inner corpus. Are they supposed to be held in place somewhere inside the guitar? Or should I do it myself with a cable tie or so?

Edited by leonardmccoy 2016-02-15 10:48 AM
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DetlefMichel
Posted 2016-02-15 12:13 PM (#522188 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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Location: Muenster/Germany
If you still have the hump beneath the 14th fret (which of course affects the sound and playability of the guitar!!): the Ovations of that period have a bolt-on neck. Thus is is quite easy to perform a neck reset. I did this with many of my Ovations, meanwhile I feel like I can do it with my eyes closed. Removed the neck, made little(!) corrections at the neck heel to improve the neck angle itself and after that removed any redundant material under the neck so long until the hump was gone when I fixed the neck with the screws again. When all looks good, you may re-glue the fretboard on the top when you make the final fix of the neck screws.On one guitar (custom legend 12string)I had even to remove small parts of the top wood to achieve this.
If you change the neck angle a wee bit there will be another improvement: you will have to add one more shim under the pickup and you will get a better string angle and more pressure on it and that means more dynamics. A lot of work, you have to be careful and precise, but in the end you will have a guitar with a complete straight neck, playable with incredible low action without any buzz, just like Ovations have to be like. If you don´t want to do this youself, any luthier will be able to perform this easily.
So... , sorry, folks, but a guitar with a hump in the neck is NOT acceptably playable.
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DetlefMichel
Posted 2016-02-15 12:27 PM (#522189 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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I forgot: a light fall-off of the neck is no problem, it makes the higher notes less easy to play but lets the strings move better and is, if not too much, desirable. What I mean is the hump, that so often is to find on older guitars, when the string action behind the 12th fret is getting lower and behind the 16th fret or so higher again, causing bad string buzz.
Oh man, all this is so hard to describe if you cannot use your own language.
And I forgot to mention that this is a wonderful guitar! A-braced are best.
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-02-17 9:42 AM (#522279 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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Thanks a lot for the information on the neck reset. I didn't know the procedure was that unproblematic. My luthier asked me about how the neck was attached to the body since he wasn't familiar with the intricacies of how Ovations are built either.
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d'ovation
Posted 2016-02-17 10:45 AM (#522282 - in reply to #522188)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White


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DetlefMichel - 2016-02-15 12:13 PM I did this with many of my Ovations, meanwhile I feel like I can do it with my eyes closed.

Hi Detlef, have you ever done this on one of the more recent LX neck models?

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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-02-20 5:49 PM (#522377 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: RE: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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Location: Katmandu

I have the sneaking suspicion the previous owner of the L717 messed with the adjustable saddle. It seems he displaced the parts of the saddle that can be moved around freely to adjust the height of a string individually. For example, oddly enough, the E bass string seems higher than the other ones.

Perhaps someone can shed some light on how the parts ought to be placed in the correct order. As far as I understand it the lower saddle parts come under the 1st and 6th string respectively. But I don't know for sure and also whether the saddle parts are rotated correctly to begin with.

See photo montage.





(l717saddle.jpg)



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Damon67
Posted 2016-02-20 6:13 PM (#522378 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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Location: Jet City
The saddle/pickup assembly is all one piece. The saddles are not adjustable individually. You should not be able to move the saddles around at all. If you can, there's problems.

Technically, the lower E is indeed higher, as it is designed to be. The string vibrates more than the lower strings. It's compensated so it doesn't fret out. However, your saddle looks odd. If those saddle pieces are coming apart, they may be put back in the wrong spot.

Is the pickup even working? Have you plugged in yet?
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-02-20 6:45 PM (#522379 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: RE: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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Location: Katmandu
I just double-checked, the pickup is fully functional.

Comparing the saddle of my L717 with 360Ovation's (see photo below), mine does seem to have been messed with.

Unlike mine, the saddle of 360Ovation's L717 has the compensated saddle pieces reserved for the 1st and 6th string as I'm used to seeing it with other O's as well. However, my saddle compensates the high E and B strings, the latter of which doesn't make a whole lot of sense. The low E string (bass) should be compensated instead.

Should I try and rearrange the pieces?

Edited by leonardmccoy 2016-02-20 7:05 PM




(l717saddle-360ovation.jpg)



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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-02-21 10:34 AM (#522388 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: RE: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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It was noticable that the E bass string (uncompensated) was the tiniest little bit too high in relation to the other bass strings, whereas the B treble string (compensated) ended up being the tiniest little bit too low in terms of string height and relatively speaking for the treble strings.

After seeing some photos of Old Man Arthur disassembling a classic Ovation saddle, I managed to gather enough courage to go ahead and trying to put the compensated saddle joints in their rightful position on the L717 saddle.

It was a fairly simple procedure: After winding down the strings I just had to lift the black saddle pins, and the saddle joints were free to be moved about or swapped out entirely. I reverted the compensated pieces back to their default position on the saddle. Now the low E strings is compensated again, together with the high E string.

This in turn allowed me to straighten the neck the tiniest little bit (by ways of adjusting the truss rod) as the B string, which was previously too low due to being compensated -- wrongly so -- on the saddle, would no longer buzz with a yet straighter neck with the least amount of clearance.



Edited by leonardmccoy 2016-02-21 10:57 AM
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Damon67
Posted 2016-02-22 2:09 AM (#522400 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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yeah, not supposed to work that way, but glad it's going right now.

aside from the endpins, it's designed to be one unit. They obviously messed with it if the saddles were individually moveable. The saddle piece if you do remove it is all one piece from the factory. See the pic (stolen from Arthur)

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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-02-22 9:31 AM (#522403 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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Then, much to my dismay, the previous owner or his luthier must have cut the saddle into individual joints to swap out the bits in a nonsensical fashion. It seemed strange to me from the beginning that you could glide the pieces up and down the saddle, hence the gap between certain segments.

He told me that he had string action addressed; however, once the truss rod got re-adjusted by me string action was a nonissue as she played like a dream, barring the above saddle mess-up, of course, and the fretboard hump. In general he didn't treat the guitar gracefully at all even though it's such a well-made, well-sounding instrument.

I wonder if I should try and get a new lefty L717 saddle or leave it as is.

Edited by leonardmccoy 2016-02-22 9:33 AM
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Damon67
Posted 2016-02-22 11:40 AM (#522408 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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You might try Customer Service, but it could very well be that you have to purchase the entire pickup assembly.
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red-twins
Posted 2016-02-22 1:37 PM (#522412 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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<p>The white saddle piece is available in Germany via the new European Ovation distributor GEWA. Got two of them recently for about $ 8 each. They both weren't straight though.... tried to work a bit on one, and it broke easily. Well, it's plastic..... Anyway, since they got the stuff from the US, should be available from the mother.</p>

Edited by red-twins 2016-02-22 1:39 PM
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-02-23 11:59 AM (#522439 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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Thanks, Damon and red-twins, that's a good call.

I'll try and contact GEWA here in Germany for an extra saddle. Even though the current one with its separated joints sits firmly in the shaft, it certainly won't hurt to replace it in its entirety.
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-03-03 3:59 PM (#522640 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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Location: Katmandu
Bit by bit I'm discovering the unknown parts of that guitar's history. It would seem the previous owner had flattened the curvature of the saddle a tad perhaps by sanding it down the tiniest little amount at the highest point of the saddle. When I got the replacement saddles, which are way more pointy in comparison, that became pretty apparent.

The only unfortunate thing is that the retailer delivered the wrong saddle pieces, namely for righthanded Ovations. Due to how the strings are compensated, I can't use those on a lefty though. The current saddle plays well and the intonation is perfect. Still, I'll see whether I can't get hold of a lefty replacement saddle or two.

I was surprised to see a replacement volume knob delivered without any issues for the integrated OP-24, though, from 26 years ago.

Edited by leonardmccoy 2016-03-03 4:14 PM
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red-twins
Posted 2016-03-03 5:25 PM (#522650 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



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February 2013
Posts: 176

Location: Cologne/Germany
...to me the saddle looks same on both ends, but you may be right... That was quickly delivered, eh?! I heard rumour last year in one guitar pawn shop that GEWA got spare stuff from F........ Don't know if that's correct, but if, F....... itself probably got older spares from the former distributor Musik Meyer. Anyway, fortunately it's still there....

Edited by red-twins 2016-03-03 5:26 PM
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-03-04 3:12 AM (#522659 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



Joined:
December 2015
Posts: 287

Location: Katmandu
My local guitar shop just contacted me as they got word back from the European distributor (GEWA) who in turn contacted the Mothership regarding the lefty saddle. The distributor now ordered the correct saddle for a lefty directly from the mothership; delivery will take a while.

It would have been but a cosmetic upgrade for my L717. She plays incredibly well with the disjointed current (lefty) saddle and sounds too good to be true. I love me that A bracing.
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Old Man Arthur
Posted 2016-03-04 3:45 AM (#522660 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777

Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR
You did order Two, didn't you?

Just thinking ahead.
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Beal
Posted 2016-03-04 6:45 AM (#522665 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127

Location: 6 String Ranch
Many from that age had the drop off. There's no money above the 5th fret anyway, let alone the 14th
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-03-04 7:55 AM (#522666 - in reply to #522660)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



Joined:
December 2015
Posts: 287

Location: Katmandu

Old Man Arthur - 2016-03-04 3:45 AM

You did order Two, didn't you?

Just thinking ahead.

Yes, sir, I did.

Here's a comparison shot of a righty vs. lefty saddle:

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Mark in Boise
Posted 2016-03-04 11:28 AM (#522678 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White


Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12750

Location: Boise, Idaho
BTW, nice job on the Cat Stevens tabs.
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red-twins
Posted 2016-03-04 5:24 PM (#522696 - in reply to #522666)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



Joined:
February 2013
Posts: 176

Location: Cologne/Germany

leonardmccoy - 2016-03-04 2:55 PM



Here's a comparison shot of a righty vs. lefty saddle:

Leonhard, I finally got the difference!

Interesting to me that the spare part is not straight... same with the two I ordered last year...

Tried to work a bit on it and it broke easily. Well, it is stiff plastic....But I assume I could use the two halves.

I have not tried so far, since the old saddle still works but I wonder whether they would fit to the pickup....

 

Without looking it up didn't you wrote that the former  owner has put the saddle into six pieces. If correct, You could take a Right hand version and put them together  the way you want it.

Maybe that is what the preowner did...

But if available a new one seems to be the best idea. 

 



Edited by red-twins 2016-03-04 5:32 PM
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-03-04 7:20 PM (#522703 - in reply to #522678)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



Joined:
December 2015
Posts: 287

Location: Katmandu
Mark in Boise - 2016-03-04 11:28 AM

BTW, nice job on the Cat Stevens tabs.

Thanks a lot! It's my pet project. Cat Stevens is the reason I picked up the guitar in the first place never to let go off it.

Edited by leonardmccoy 2016-03-04 7:21 PM
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-03-04 7:37 PM (#522704 - in reply to #522696)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



Joined:
December 2015
Posts: 287

Location: Katmandu

red-twins - 2016-03-04 5:24 PM

Leonhard, I finally got the difference!

Interesting to me that the spare part is not straight... same with the two I ordered last year...

Tried to work a bit on it and it broke easily. Well, it is stiff plastic....But I assume I could use the two halves.

I have not tried so far, since the old saddle still works but I wonder whether they would fit to the pickup....

Without looking it up didn't you wrote that the former  owner has put the saddle into six pieces. If correct, You could take a Right hand version and put them together  the way you want it.

Maybe that is what the preowner did...

But if available a new one seems to be the best idea.

Yes, when I received the L717 the saddle had been sliced into individual pieces and through them other strings (1st and 2nd) than the default ones (1st and 6th) were compensated instead. The saddle pieces were also all evenly filed down a tad. I'm pretty sure it's the original lefty saddle of the guitar that was messed with, not a righty saddle cut up and turned around, which, admittedly, would work rather well though. After returning the saddle pieces to their rightful place on the shaft, action and intonation became perfect.

Were I to use a proper replacement saddle, I'd have to remove one shim, is my guess, in order to compensate for the added string height due to not using a somewhat filed down saddle piece anymore.



Edited by leonardmccoy 2016-03-04 7:39 PM
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red-twins
Posted 2016-03-05 12:26 AM (#522712 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



Joined:
February 2013
Posts: 176

Location: Cologne/Germany
Tell us when they arrive. Would be interesting how long it takes in these days.
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-04-21 1:42 PM (#524720 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



Joined:
December 2015
Posts: 287

Location: Katmandu
In terms of getting the lefty saddle, I finally got news from Ovation's European distributor, GEWA, who in turn checked the situation with Ovation USA.

The lefty saddle piece itself can't be ordered individually but only with the entire pickup system (item no. OV730.291 6/12-STG LEFT HAND OCP PICPICKUP). Delivery time for the import of the item would be around 3-4 months.

Since my original saddle piece is structurally sound with perfect intonation (only that it was cut into individual chunks and rounded off), it's too much of a hassle to get it replaced given the news. However, I got all the other replacement parts I needed already via the local retailer (like volume knob), so I'm content with the situation as is.

Once the new Adamas strings arrive (I opted for Mediums this time around), I will put up a few sound samples, since I'm of the belief I have the best-sounding Ovation on Mother Earth both acoustically and electrically!

Edited by leonardmccoy 2016-04-21 1:47 PM
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DetlefMichel
Posted 2016-04-28 11:53 AM (#524931 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



Joined:
May 2011
Posts: 751

Location: Muenster/Germany
My favourite Ovations are the sunburst but this one is a real temptation.
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-05-12 4:11 PM (#525198 - in reply to #524931)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



Joined:
December 2015
Posts: 287

Location: Katmandu
The 1/4" input jack of my L717 is rattling ever so slightly whenever I hit a certain frequency (high G). Something seems to be loose inside that thing.

Does anybody know what replacement part I would have to get to completely replace the output jack of my L717 with?
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-05-25 3:02 PM (#525531 - in reply to #525198)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



Joined:
December 2015
Posts: 287

Location: Katmandu
I have had the output jack completely replaced by my luthier. No more rattling when playing 12th fret harmonics! :D
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leonardmccoy
Posted 2016-10-17 7:22 AM (#529337 - in reply to #521875)
Subject: Re: 1990 L717 Cream-White



Joined:
December 2015
Posts: 287

Location: Katmandu
The top of my L717 is domed (by, say, 0.1 inch) in the regions where the bridge is located at. While I've heard that a domed top isn't necessarily a bad thing and not uncommon even with other brands (and I figure the A bracing is more susceptible to this than X bracing), I'm nonetheless worried that the bridge that's screwed to the top will sooner or later rip this beautifully aged soundboard apart.

At which point should I justifiably be worried? Am I just a scaredy cat?!
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